Hidden word game &amp; puzzle system

ABSTRACT

The present invention teaches a hidden word game and/or puzzle capable of being played or solved by one or more people, at one or more than one location. In a more broad context, a puzzle or game “system” is provided in which two or more words or letter groupings are set forth in spaced-apart manner. A plurality of groups of letters which are linked to one another are embedded or hidden within one or more of said words or letter groupings. Either the spelling arrangement, or the pronunciation of said letters within a letter group, has an accepted meaning when viewed in at least one arrangement. The letter groups are related to one another by meaning, theme, or otherwise. The user of the game and/or puzzle is challenged to locate these letter groups.

REFERENCE TO PROVISIONAL APPLICATION

I wish to incorporate herein by reference and accept the Apr. 6, 2002effective filing date of my provisional patent application Ser. No.60/370,346.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field

The present invention relates generally to the field of word games, andthe like, and more specifically to a hidden word game and puzzle systemcapable of being played alone or among with others.

2. Prior Art

Millions of people have over the years enjoyed playing word games andsolving word puzzles. They currently appear regularly in newspapers,magazines and specialty publications dedicated to games and puzzles.However, word games and puzzles of all types have been played and solvedfor centuries.

The Oxford Guide to Word Games by Tony Augarde, published by OxfordUniversity Press with a copyright date of 1984, and which is herebyincorporated herein by reference, discloses such prior art. By way ofexample only, Aunt Judy's Magazine dated on or about December of 1869,referred to at page 122, apparently included word games. Buried Citiesby Edward Field (1871) is referred to at page 122. Guess Me, by F.Planche (1872) is referred to at page 123 thereof. While I have not seenthese cited old publications, I disclose them herein in the spirit ofproviding to the reader my current knowledge of the oldest prior artrelating to this field. I hasten to add, however, that I have never seenanything in the prior art which discloses or suggests the presentinvention, as herein described and claimed.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

That said, there exists a need for a new system of puzzles and gameswith additional challenges and options not found in the prior art. It isan object of the present invention to provide such a new and novelsystem of puzzles and games, which may be used and marketed inconnection with one or more of a variety of electronic or tangiblemedia.

It is another object of the present invention to provide such games andpuzzles with a view toward providing one or more educational functions,while at the same time enabling the user, child or adult, to have fun inthe process.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide such gamesand puzzles which will improve the cognitive skills of the user, whetherthe user is a child first acquiring such skills, or adults or theelderly who may have lost some or all of such skills as a result of age,illness or head injury, to name just a few examples.

Yet a further object of this invention is to provide such puzzles andgames in a manner which enhances the users' vocabulary and/or readingskills.

A further object of the present invention is to provide such puzzles andgames as a means of improving the emotional well-being of the user,through humor or concentration, and in one or more of a variety ofdegrees of difficulty.

Still another object is to provide a system with strong appeal to peoplewho do crossword puzzles as a way to relax, play Scrabble or Boggle withfriends and family, or who carry an acrostics or Mad Libs pad with themwhile they wait in line.

Another object is to provide such a system which can be played as aboard game, like Scrabble, and which may come with sets of stories andwords, a timer, and scorecard.

Still a further object is to provide such a system which will work quitewell as a regular newspaper or magazine feature, such as a crosswordpuzzle.

It is anticipated that after reading and understanding the concept ofthis invention, the reader will be able to create one or more of asubstantially unlimited variety of puzzles and games, either for selfamusement or for commercialization.

SUMMARY

The present invention teaches a hidden word game and/or puzzle capableof being played or solved by one or more people, at one or more than onelocation. In a more broad context, a puzzle or game “system” is providedin which two or more words or letter groupings are set forth inspaced-apart manner. A plurality of groups of letters which are linkedto one another are embedded or hidden within one or more of said wordsor letter groupings. Either the spelling arrangement, or thepronunciation of said letters within a letter group, has an acceptedmeaning when viewed in at least one arrangement. The letter groups arerelated to one another by meaning, theme, or otherwise. The user of thegame and/or puzzle is challenged to locate these letter groups.

While the descriptive term “system” used in this specification may tosome denote a mechanical, computer, data, electronic or other tangiblesystem as the term is often used, I use the term “system” in thisspecification to teach novel “methods” or “processes” which may be usedto create puzzles or games according to the present invention. Perhapsthe term “business methods” is another term that will come to mind asthe reader comes to understand the system according to the presentinvention.

The present invention includes several embodiments and should not belimited to those embodiments presented as examples thereof. Similarly,while the words “game” and “puzzle” are used in this specification, theymay in some instances be interchangeable and must not be construed aslimiting the scope of this invention to a system used by any specificnumber of people. Stated differently, a puzzle or game according to thepresent invention may be “played” or “used” by one or more people,either as an amusement or educational device or in connection with acompetition.

In one embodiment of the present invention, one or more persons is reada story or other text which contains hidden words which are embeddedwithin the text. The hidden words may or may not have a common theme.The subject of the hidden words may or may not have a relationship tothe subject of the words in which they are hidden.

The game may be played in one or more of a variety of formats orplatforms, by one player, or by more than one player; on a competitiveor team basis against a timer clock or otherwise; with the optionalawarding of points depending on the number of words correctlyidentified, and optionally as a function of the difficulty of eachanswer. The hidden words may be embedded in longer words, linked acrosswords (regardless of punctuation), in homonyms or sound-a-likes,anagrams, or read in reverse sequence or otherwise concealed. Whenplayed as a competitive game, points may be deleted for incorrectanswers.

The game or puzzle according to this invention may be played innewspaper puzzle format, as a pad game, as a board game with cards orother formatted questions, as an online device, on CD-ROM or otherelectronic media, television show or in other formats/platforms. Thetext may be of varying lengths with the number of embedded words thereinvarying correspondingly. The game is capable of having a large data baseof answers in board format or card format with an open-ended supplementof words, and of drawing on traditional themes or categories likesports/recreation as well as arts/entertainment, popular culture, commonitems, household items, people and places, history, society, geography,company names, names of states or countries, science and theenvironment, and wild cards, to name a few database categories. Othercategories will be obvious to one skilled in the art.

MORE DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following is an example of an embodiment of a puzzle according tothe system of the present invention, where the category of the hiddenwords is “Culture-Astrology” and where the hidden words are each namesof astrological signs:

EXAMPLE 1 Puzzle Title: “Sunny Sun Signs”

-   -   “Ida, a cancer care nurse, finished work and put on her leotards        and loose-fitting top. She got into her brand-new Ford Taurus        and drove to the airport where she had a scone and a Reisling        wine before boarding her flight. She was on her way to vacation        in Capri, corny as that may have seemed to some of her friends.”

The user or player of the foregoing puzzle seeks to find the hidden orembedded words which satisfy the predetermined theme or category. Theanswers to this puzzle are indicated in bold and capital letters in thepuzzle repeated below:

“Ida, a CANCER care nurse, finished work and put on her LEOtards andloose-fitting top. She got into her brand-new Ford TAURUS and drove tothe airport where she had a scone and A RIESling wine before boardingher flight. She was on her way to vacation in CAPRI, CORNy as that mayhave seemed to some of her friends.”

The present invention, according to an embodiment thereof, may include aset of rules which are intended to govern the manner in which user(s)solve the puzzle or game appropriately. By way of example, the followingis an example only of a set of rules which may be applied to a puzzle orgame in the form of tangible or electronic cards or sheets or otherindicia:

-   -   Number of Players    -   The game can be played by one to an unlimited number of players,        alone or as a contest between two or more players or teams.    -   Easy to Follow Riles    -   The object of the game is simple-you pick a card (or sheet) and        are given a few short sentences to read. Hidden in those        sentences, in an unrelated, zany anecdote, are 5 words on a        subject identified on the card. There are in all a total of 500        cards divided into the following groups:        -   Sports/Recreation;        -   Arts and Entertainment;        -   Popular Culture;        -   Common Daily Things;        -   Household Items;        -   People and Places;        -   History and Society;        -   Science and the Environment;        -   Wild Cards.    -   Suppose you picked a card from History and Society, on the        subject Crimes. All the words would relate to crimes.

EXAMPLE 2

-   -   “When they applied for a new apartment in Hamburg, Lars and        Greta showed the officials their only child, our son Jurgen who        was sleeping in his stroller. Lars was silent, not making a        murmur, derby hat in his hand while Greta did all the talking.        She wore a simple long dress. May hems so long ever come down,        she wondered. The still napping kid nodded, his sleep arrested.”    -   Rules of Scoring:    -   The answers are shown on a separate sheet; they are all linked        letters of words that relate to crime.    -   1 If your answer consists of one word standing by itself or        contained within one word, you get 10 points. In the example        shown, Arrest would be 10 points.    -   2 If your answer consists of linked letters across two or more        words, you get 20 points. From the example above, burglars        consists of burg+lars. Murmur+derby=murder. If there is a        punctuation mark between the letters the answer still counts.        But if another letter is between the linked letters, it doesn't        count as a link. Thus if the text said murmur, a derby hat,        mur+a+der=murader, which doesn't count.    -   3 If your answer is a homonym, (same sound for two different        words)(red=read) or a sound-alike—where a letter combination        that is linked sounds like another word—you get an 20 points.        From the example above, our son=arson. So this answer gets a        score of 20 points.    -   4 If your answer is an anagram—linked letters that when        scrambled in another order give the right answer—you get 20        points. From the example, napping+kid=kidnapping. Remember, the        letters must be linked with no other letters between them.    -   5 A word may be spelled backwards. That is merely another        anagram and gets 20 points. Thus if the subject of the card was        food, and one sentence said “He was stressed out,” stressed        spelled backwards is desserts.    -   6 Wrong answers lose 10 points and you lose your turn.    -   7 Game can he played by yourself against a one minute or other        time clock. It can also be played as a team game between sides.        If you are playing on a team basis, your team gets up to three        turns in a row before the next team plays. On each turn, your        team must score at least 40 points to continue. Erroneous        answers lose 10 points and allow the other side to draw the next        card. The first team to reach 500 points wins.

To further illustrate examples of the present invention, the followingsystem of puzzles (answers to follow) is described in terms of a game ofcards and sheets:

EXAMPLE 3

-   -   Category: Household Items    -   SUBJECT: The Bathroom    -   STORY: The Stockbroker's Wife    -   The stock broker's wife called him, her heart sinking.    -   “Honey, we took a bath in the market today' he said his face        flushed.” So apply yourself harder” she replied.” That's the way        to wellness.”

EXAMPLE 4

-   -   CATEGORY: SPORTS AND RECREATION    -   Subject: The 1961 Yankees    -   Story: My Gambling Grandparents    -   My grandpa loved to gamble — at blackjack, roulette, and at the        craps table. Grandma, risk averse, would watch and just get more        numb and number. Seven or eleven rarely came up for Gramps. They        they'd come home from the casino and feed me chicken salad and        bean sprouts. “Where's the mayo-gimme some for David,” Grandpa        would shout. Then we'd sit down to eat in front of the hearth        and schmoose the rest of the night.

EXAMPLE 5

-   -   Category: Sports And Recreation    -   Subject: Golf    -   Story: The Doubted Dieter

Bobbie Smith, who had been a bit of a cad, dieted while away from home.In secret, he tried to iron out the rough spots in his appearance. Hiswife thought he was having an affair. When she accused him on the phoneand told him to get home now, he sputtered nervously, “I×ll bb . . . bebb . . . back nine, nn . . . nine days from now.”

EXAMPLE 6

-   -   CATEGORY: ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT    -   SUBJECT: 2002 Oscar nominees for best actor/actress:    -   STORY: The Family Farm    -   Mom, always under siege had the laundry to do, washing tons of        it. In the den, children were cramped into a small space, kids        who were bored with their toys and gazed out the window at the        brightly colored scarecrow eating a raspberry.

EXAMPLE 7

-   -   CATEGORY: POPULAR CULTURE    -   SUBJECT: astrology    -   STORY: The Nurse Takes Off    -   Ida, a cancer care nurse, finished work, put on her leotards,        got into her brand-new Ford Taurus and drove to the airport        where she had a scone and a Reisling wine. She was on her way to        vacation in Capri, corny as that may have seemed to her.

EXAMPLE 8

-   -   CATEGORY: SCIENCE AND THE ENVIRONMENT    -   SUBJECT: agriculture—grain    -   STORY: The Wayward Colonel    -   A product of the Gulf War, Colonel Wayne Dees kept his men up        all night, ever-vigilant against terrorists. He'd wake up the        troops, walk them through a maze, guns drawn, on the lookout for        serial killers and assassins. “Hey, Wayne,” his captains would        whisper, “can't you cede a little authority to us?”

EXAMPLE 9

-   -   Category: Arts And Entertainment    -   SUBJECT: The films of Producer Lynda Obst    -   Story: Good Friends    -   Lilith and Isis returned to New York and checked into the Hotel        Stanhope. Floats of sorbet and creme brulee surrounding her,        Isis ordered more dessert after dinner. Lilith said: “Feeling        good eating fatty food is a con”. Tactfully she added. “Act your        age, Isis; my life is under control and yours is besieged by        food demons.”

“But I need the calories,” replied Isis. “Got a date with my agent atKingfisher Books and have to go to Traffic Court to beat one fine. Daysof Wine and Roses—no way here. I work more and sleep less. In Seattleand L.A. the living is easier.”

EXAMPLE 10

-   -   Category: Wild Card    -   Subject: Girl's First Names    -   Story: When Irish Eyes are Smiling    -   The O'Reillys lived the traditional Irish life Sunday        churchgoing, at All Soul's Eve, dressing in witch garb and        bobbing for apples, and at Christmas, caroling and presents from        Saint Nick. But, as clan leader Aidan says every X-mas,” We        couldn't live without my Kelly girl Inez.” After dinner and        before the first carol, Inez cleared the table and waxed the        floors. “You fill us with great joy,” the whole family swooned.        Curiously, they vacationed and fox hunted each year in Scotland        on the shores of Loch Lomond, where twins Len and Lyn dallied        and played tricks on each other and composed a rap idyl “Lomond        Loch-up.” It was here they spotted in a cul-de-sac lairs of the        first silver foxes they had seen. The creature returned their        glance, then quickly rose, navigated the scene, and fled,        jumping over a small obstruction in the lane.

EXAMPLE 11

-   -   Category: Sports And Recreation    -   SUBJECT: Chess Pieces    -   Story: Getting it Right    -   Bob needed money, so he went out one night to trade in his gold        watch at the local pawnshop, where he got rooked by a        fast-talking salesclerk.” You know Bob, I shop better than you,        “said his wife in a queenly manner.

EXAMPLE 12

-   -   Category: Sports And Recreation    -   SUBJECT: Baseball    -   Story: The Great Greek    -   Although the poet Homer was blind as a bat and couldn't stop        short when he needed to, he could still strike back at an        assailant and appreciate the curves of a voluptuous woman.    -   The following answer sheet accompanies the examples set forth        above, where the hidden words are highlighted by underlining,        and examples of point values to be earned are specified:

Answer Sheet

-   -   Household Items    -   The Bathroom    -   The Stockbroker's Wife    -   The stock broker's wife called him, her heart sinking. “Honey,        we took a bath in the market today' he said his face flushed.”        So apply yourself harder” she replied.” That's the way to        wellness.”        -   Bath—10        -   sink—10        -   flush—10        -   towel—20        -   soap—20    -   Sports And Recreation    -   The 1961 Yankees    -   My Gambling Grandparents    -   My grandpa loved to gamble—at blackjack, roulette, and at the        craps table. Grandma risk averse, would watch and just get more        numb and number. Seven or eleven rarely came up for Gramps. They        they'd come home from the casino and feed me chicken salad and        bean sprouts. ‘Where’s the mayo-gimme some for David,” Grandpa        would shout. Then we'd sit down to eat in front of the hearth        and schmoose the rest of the night.        -   (Roger) Mans 20        -   Number seven (Mickey Mantle) 20        -   Yogi (Berra) 20        -   (Whitey) Ford 20        -   Moose (Skowron) 20    -   Sports and Recreation    -   Golf    -   The Doubted Dieter    -   Bobbie Smith, who had been a bit of a cad, dieted while away        from home. In secret, he tried to iron out the rough spots in        his appearance. His wife thought he was having an affair. When        she accused him on the phone and told him to get home now, he        sputtered nervously, “I'll bb . . . be bb . . . back nine, nn .        . . nine days from now.”        -   caddie 20        -   iron 10        -   rough 10        -   putter 10        -   back nine 10    -   ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT    -   2002 Oscar nominees for best actor/actress:    -   The Family Farm    -   Mom, always under siege had the laundry to do, washing tons of        it. In the den children were cramped into a small space, kids        who were bored with their toys and gazed out the window at the        brightly colored scarecrow Eating a raspberry.        -   (Denzel) Washington 20        -   (Judi) Dench 20        -   (Sissy) Spacek 20        -   (Russell) Crowe 10        -   (Halle) Berry 10    -   POPULAR CULTURE    -   Astrology    -   The Nurse Takes Off    -   Ida, a cancer care nurse, finished work, put on her leotards,        got into her brand-new Ford Taurus and drove to the airport        where she had a scone and a Reisling wine. She was on her way to        vacation in Capri, corny as that may have seemed to her.        -   Cancer 10        -   Leo 10        -   Taurus 10        -   Aries 20        -   Capricorn 20    -   Science and the Environment    -   Agriculture—Grain    -   The Wayward Colonel    -   A product of the Gulf War, Colonel Wayne Dees kept his men up        all night, ever-vigilant against terrorists. He'd wake up the        troops, walk them through a maze, guns drawn, on the lookout for        serial killers and assassins. “Hey, Wayne,” his captains would        whisper, “can't you cede a little authority to us?”        -   colonel—homonym for kernel —20        -   dees—anagram, seed spelled backwards —20        -   maze—homonym for maize —20        -   serial—homonym for cereal —20        -   hey—homonym for hay —20    -   ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT    -   The films of producer Lynda Obst    -   Good Friends    -   Lilith and Isis returned to New York and checked into the Hotel        Stanhope. Floats of sorbet and creme brulee surrounding her,        Isis ordered more dessert after dinner. Lilith said: “Feeling        good eating fatty food is a con”. Tactfully she added. “Act your        age, Isis; my life is under control and yours is besieged by        food demons.”    -   “But I need the calories,” replied Isis. “Got a date with my        agent at Kingfisher Books and have to go to Traffic Court to        beat one fine. Days of Wine and Roses—no way here. I work more        and sleep less. In Seattle and L.A. the living is easier.”        -   Hope Floats 20        -   Seige 10        -   Fisher King 20        -   One Fine Day 20        -   Sleepless in Seattle 20    -   WILD CARD    -   Girl's First Names    -   When Irish Eyes are Smiling    -   The O'Reillys lived the traditional Irish life-Sunday        churchgoing, at All Soul's Eve, dressing in witch garb and        bobbing for apples, and at Christmas, caroling and presents from        Saint Nick. But, as clan leader Aidan says every X-mas,” We        couldn't live without my cleaning Kelly girl Inez.” After dinner        and before the first song, Inez cleared the table and waxed the        floors. “You fill us with great joy,” the whole family swooned.    -   Curiously, they vacationed and fox hunted each year in Scotland        on the shores of Loch Lomond, where twins Len and Lyn dallied        and played tricks on each other and composed a rap idyl “Lomond        Loch-up.” It was here they spotted in a cul-de-sac lairs of the        first silver foxes they had seen. The creature returned their        glance, then quickly rose, navigated the scene, and fled,        jumping over a small obstruction in the lane.        -   Eve 10        -   Carol 10        -   Kelly 10        -   Inez 10        -   Phyllis (homonym) 20        -   Joy 10        -   Lynda 20        -   Claire (homonym) 20        -   Rose 10    -   SPORTS AND RECREATION    -   Chess Pieces    -   Getting it Right    -   Bob needed money, so he went out one night to trade in his gold        watch at the local pawn shop, where he got rooked by a        fast-talking salesclerk.” You know Bob I shop better than you,        “said his wife in a queenly manner.        -   night (homonym) 20        -   pawn 10        -   rook 10        -   bishop 20        -   queen 10    -   SPORTS AND RECREATION    -   Baseball    -   The Great Greek    -   Although the poet Homer was blind as a bat and couldn't stop        short when he needed to, he could still strike back at an        assailant and appreciate the curves of a voluptuous woman.        -   Homer 10        -   bat 10        -   short stop 10        -   strike 10        -   curve 10

The following further illustrates a format and rules of a game:

Format and Rules of the Game

The basic format for the game is as follows:

A player is given a short anecdote to read. The story is zany oroff-beat and is easy to read, though not usually predictable. The playeris asked to read the story and find words unrelated to the storyembedded in it. The player is only given the category that the wordsbelong to. He is not given the words themselves. There are certainformats for the words: they may be in plain sight, linked across words(including across punctuation), sound-alike words (homonyms), orscrambled words (anagram). Points are based on how many words are found,and the degree of difficulty in finding them.

For example:

The Story:

The Doubted Dieter

Bobbie Smith, who had been a bit of a cad, dieted while away from home.In secret, he tried to iron out the rough spots in his appearance. Hiswife thought he was having an affair. When she accused him on the phoneand told him to get home now, he sputtered nervously, “I'll bb . . . bebb . . . back nine, nn . . . nine days from now.”

The Topic of the Hidden Words: Golf

After reading the story, the player is asked to find five words aboutgolf embedded in it. He/she is given a limited amount of time to do so.

The Words:

-   -   caddie    -   rough    -   putter    -   back nine    -   iron

Below is the story with the words identified by underlining:

Bobbie Smith, who had been a bit of a CAD, DIEted while away from home.In secret, he tried to IRON out the ROUGH spots in his appearance. Hiswife thought he was having an affair. When she accused him on the phoneand told him to get home now, he sPUTTERed nervously, “I'll bb . . . ebb . . . BACK NINE, nn . . . nine days from now.”

Based on the degree of difficulty, the points are assigned to eachcorrect word uncovered (or a player can play for pleasure and not countpoints):

-   -   caddie    -   rough    -   putter    -   back nine    -   iron    -   Another example—The category is POPULAR CULTURE and the hidden        links are to 2002 OSCAR NOMINEES for Best actor/actress: Here        we've already highlighted the Answers:    -   The Family Farm    -   Mom, always under siege had the laundry to do, WASHING TONs of        it. In the DEN, CHildren were cramped into a small SPACE, Kids        who were bored with their toys and gazed out the window at the        brightly colored scareCROW Eating a raspBERRY.    -   The answers are Russell Crow, Halle Berry, Sissy Spacek, Judy        Dench, and Denzel Washington And in the category of        Culture-Astrology, the hidden words are all ASTROLOGICAL SIGNS:    -   Ida, a CANCER care nurse, finished work, put on her LEOtards,        got into her brand-new Ford TAURUS and drove to the airport        where she had a scone and A RIESling wine. She was on her way to        vacation in CAPRI, CORNy as that may have seemed to her.    -   Number of Players—    -   The game can be played by one person, or several. It can be        played alone or as a contest between players or teams.    -   Rules    -   The object of the game: To win the most points by finding all        the hidden words.    -   Method:    -   Pick a card in a topic area and read out loud a short story        (usually 3 to 5 sentences; more in an advanced game). Find        hidden words related to that topic within the story. (Or this        can be done without a game board. It can be done as an        individual game in a newspaper column, for example, or as one of        many in a book of games.)    -   Contents (for Board Game)    -   500 cards divided into topics. (Or individual stories/hidden        words in a newspaper, website or book).    -   Score sheets.        -   Time.        -   Sample categories        -   Sports/recreation        -   Arts/entertainment        -   Popular Culture        -   Common Items        -   Household Items        -   People and Places        -   History and Society        -   Science and the Environment        -   Wild Cards.    -   Scoring    -   Within each story. there are different point values for hidden        words as follows:    -   1 stand-alone word or one contained within another word: 10        points.    -   2 linked letters across two or more words, 15 points.    -   3 homonym, (same sound for two different words) or a        sound-alike—where a letter combination that is linked sounds        like another word: additional lo points, over and above the base        score for the word.    -   4 anagram,—linked letters that have been scrambled: 20 points.    -   5 word spelled backwards: 20 points.    -   6 wrong answers deduct 15 points from total to date.

The game(s) described can be played by oneself against a one minute orother time clock. It can also be played as a team game between sides. Ifone is playing on a team basis, that player's team gets up to threeturns in a row before the next team plays. On each turn, the player'steam must score at least 40 points to continue. Erroneous answers lose15 points and allow the other side to draw the next card. The first teamto reach 100 points wins.

The present invention contemplates multiple categories both in story andin hidden word form. For example, categories may include householditems, celebrities, geography, science, popular culture. Specializedcategories for distinct audiences may include words related to the stateof California, for example, or a specific community group. Advancedversions may comprise, for example, a two-page story that contains namesof 30 classical composers, designed for an airplane flight.

The present invention has been described in both general terms and withspecific examples. However, other examples and embodiments arecontemplated as coming within the proper scope of the appended claims.

1. A puzzle, or the like, comprising, in combination: a plurality ofwords which are spaced from one another, a plurality of groups ofletters which are linked in some way with one another, said lettersbeing embedded within one or more of said words, either the spellingarrangement or the pronunciation of said letters within a letter grouphaving an accepted first meaning when viewed in a first arrangement, themeanings of a plurality of said letter groups having a relationship toone another. a user of said puzzle being challenged to find said lettergroups.
 2. A puzzle, according to claim 1, wherein the subject of saidmeanings of said letter groups is substantially unrelated to the subjectof said words.
 3. A puzzle according to claim 1, wherein two or moreusers compete with one another to solve the puzzle.
 4. A puzzleaccording to claim 3, wherein the winner among said users is able tolocate more of said letter groups than the other.
 5. A puzzle accordingto claim 3, wherein the winner among said users is able to find apredetermined number of letter groups before the other.
 6. A puzzleaccording to claim 1, wherein the order of letters within a letter groupmay be arranged in more than one configuration to yield a meaning whenspelled or pronounced.
 7. A puzzle according to claim 1, wherein thelanguage of said letter groups, on one hand, and said words, on theother, is the same.
 8. A puzzle according to claim 1, wherein thelanguage of both said letter groups and said words is different.
 9. Apuzzle according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said letter groupscomprises a word which has a meaning which is distinct from the meaningof the word within which said letter group is embedded.
 10. A puzzleaccording to claim 1, wherein said puzzle is used as an educationalmeans to improve the development of cognitive skills in the user.
 11. Apuzzle according to claim 9, wherein said cognitive skills includes oneor more of the following: the ability to associate or link relatedletter groups, the ability to improve one's vocabulary, and the abilityto improve reading skills.
 12. A puzzle according to claim 1, whereinsaid meanings are related to a predetermined criteria.
 13. A puzzleaccording to claim 1, wherein a letter group is never identical to aword within which it is embedded.